Days before the first Republican debate, the candidates are beginning to give a glimpse of the cards they will play on stage. While all seemed relatively calm among those not named Donald Trump, criticism between candidates has already begun to circulate. Recently it was Nikki Haley, currently fifth in the polls, who had biting words for Vivek Ramaswamy, perhaps the candidate with the highest growth in recent weeks.
So far, in addition to Haley, Ramaswamy and Trump (he has confirmed that he will not attend), Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgum and Perry Johnson have managed to meet the requirements set by the Republican National Committee to be able to take the stage on August 23.
Ramaswamy, the author of "Woke, Inc.," recently commented on the U.S.-Israel relationship, which didn't go down well with the former South Carolina governor. For the businessman, while the relationship between the two countries has been beneficial for both, he wants Israel to be incorporated even more in the Middle East.
To do this, he will try to negotiate what he called "Abraham Accords 2.0," which includes countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Indonesia. His ultimate goal? To "get Israel on its own two feet."
Nikki Haley condemns Ramaswamy for his call to end U.S. aid to Israel pic.twitter.com/gLuibip5sg
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 21, 2023
"I want to get Israel to the place where it is negotiated back into the infrastructure of the rest of the Middle East. We should not be worried about holding one nation or one region hostage over one particular question relating to Palestine," the presidential candidate added.
Nikki Haley's response
The former governor responded to Ramaswamy in a statement, in which she said he is " completely wrong" in calling for an end to the "special bond" between the United States and Israel.
"Support for Israel is both the morally right and strategically smart thing to do. Both countries are stronger and safer because of our ironclad friendship. As president, I will never abandon Israel," she continued.
Haley, who has experience in international politics from serving as ambassador to the United Nations during part of the Trump administration, also said Ramaswamy's comments were part of a "concerning pattern with Vivek," such as "abandon Israel, abolish the FBI and hand over Taiwan to China." According to Haley, "his foreign policy proposals have a common theme: make America less safe."
On her campaign website, the Republican has a special section entitled "Defending Israel," in which she showcases her political record for the country that Benjamin Netanyahu governs today. She notably signed the first anti-BDS legislation in the country and has pushed for the U.S. embassy to be relocated to Jerusalem.
